Babies born~September 16th-30th 2010 #1

[Apes23]

Fuzzy, yes 120mls is what we give her now every 4 hours, takes her about 20mins or more to finish. We were giving her 90mls but she was guzzling (like you said with Chloe) every 3 hrs and was really restless in between. It says on the S26 formula can to give 120mls from 2weeks to 2months but that's just a guide. It must be hard trying to know how much she's getting from the breast?

Kirsten, Oh dear your poor SIL. Isla doesn't really chuck much at all, so we think last night's screaming marathon might of been just a one off tummy ache. The health nurse said if she's screaming all the time then it's something to worry about. So that was a relief.
She has put on 280grams so we're happy with that.

[Deana]

Fuzzy – His rash is a skin reaction and seems to be getting better. I have also bought him infant friend’s medicine for his gas and reflux. He seemed ok today but still took him from 5am to 10am to fall asleep.


Connie – Can you tell me the routine pls. Blake will be 2 weeks as of tomorrow (Wednesday). Thank you.


Apes – Im bottle formula feeding at the moment as well. Ill probably go back onto breastfeeding now that the doctor said I can do both. Blake just doesn’t seem to be getting enough breastmilk though to keep him going.


Better go Blake is hungry lol

[CoNNiE_Melb]

I am formula feeding aswell... for the last week and a half we have been offering George 140mls per bottle (6 bottles per day) he usually drinks between 120 and 140mls at a time.

We had a terrible night with him last night, I think because we were at someone else's house for his bedtime feed, where there were approx 30 people there - I think he was overstimulated and that affected the whole night.

Deana - Routine for Breastfed Baby Aged 2-4 weeks
6:40am: Express as much as you can, up to 30ml, from your right breast
7:00am: Wake your baby and feed him for up 25mins from you left breast. Then feed him for up to 15mins from your right breast. (Wake and feed him even if he last fed at 5:30am, so he is always starting his day at the same time and on a full tummy)
8:15am: Swaddle your baby and put him in his bed awake and allow him to self settle
9:40am: Express as much as you can, up to 60ml, from your left breast
10:00am: Wake your baby and feed him for up to 25mins from you right breast. Then feed him for up to 15mins from your left breast.
11:30am: Swaddle your baby and put him in his bed awake and allow him to self settle
1:00pm: Wake your baby and feed him for up to 25mins from you left breast. Then feed him for up to 25mins from your right breast.
2:30pm: Swaddle your baby and put him in his bed awake and allow him to self settle
4:00pm: Wake your baby and feed him for up to 25mins from you right breast. Then feed him for up to 25mins from your left breast. After this feed, put your baby down somewhere safe and comfortable, so if he feels like having a little nap before his bath he can. But dont put him in his bed as he may choose not to sleep.
5:20pm: Bath baby or give top-to-toe wash
6:00pm: Feed your baby for up to 25mins from you left breast. Then feed him for up to 25mins from your right breast. Or you can get someone else to feed him a bottle of expressed milk.
7:00pm: Swaddle your baby and put him in his bed awake and allow him to self settle
9:10pm: Express as much as you can, up to 90ml from your right breast
9:30pm: Wake your baby and feed him for up 25mins from you left breast. Then feed him for up to 15mins from your right breast.
Night Feeds: Now that you are in the third week and your baby has regained his birth weight and is over 3kg, you may let him sleep a bit longer at night, but dont go more than 6 hours without expressing or feeding your baby (for your milk supply). Feed your baby whenever he wakes during the night, but dont talk to him and keep the lights dim.

Geez... I just realised that the routines are so much harder and more detailed when breastfeeding, because they are also aimed to keep your milk supply up. The key times are:

Feed Times: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 6pm, 9:30pm & Night Feeds
Sleep Times (Naps): 8:15am, 11:30am & 2:30pm
Bedtime: 7pm

[Deana]

Thanks Connie, it sounds promising so I might give it ago. I hope it works lol. What if he demands a feed though? do I wait till the nest feeding time or give him a feed when he wants one?

[CoNNiE_Melb]

If it's within half an hour of a feed time, you give it to him. If its longer, you have to try and stretch him out. Generally we just pick G up and hold him and he calms down to till feeding time.

Also, if at night his last feed is at say 5:30am - you still wake him and give him a top up at 7am, so he starts the day at the same time each day and on a full tummy.

ETA - just got back from the paed check-up... G has a hernia and has to have surgery to remove it next week Apparently its very common in prem boys, and it isnt causing him any pain, but it has potential to, which is why we have to remove it.

[Apes23]

Connie, Oh poor G having to have surgery . Wow that breastfeeding routine is pretty full-on! We are feeding Isla 120mls too, but she's a little guts so we might have to up them even more to 140mls soon.

My birthday tomorrow Looking forward to going out for dinner with the family tonight.

Also I have to admit it kinda sucks not being able to drive around after having the caesar. DH has been driving but i would still like to get out and about on my own or with the kids.

[Deana]

Connie – Awe Poor George. When does he have to have the surgery?


Happy Birthday Apes. Have a great day and enjoy.


Not much to tell here, besides my milk is differently drying up and my boobs aren’t as big anymore nnnoooo. I have been trying to express as much as possible, but all im getting out of both boobs is 40 mls. Its so sad. Other then that, not much else is new.

[CoNNiE_Melb]

Happy Birthday Apes!!!!

George is meeting the surgeon on Monday and will probably have the surgery next week. All very quick.

Don't let the milk get you down too much Deana, if you really want to continue BF there are things you can try... but I dont know much about them, I gave up after 3 weeks. My boobs are gone too - so sad! Pre-pregnancy they were small but at least perky, now thats gone too

[Buzzie]

Hi girls just popping a quick post so I automatically subscribe to the thread now I can officially join in!!
I did read everyones post but won't do a long one as we are getting ready to go home soon. Thankgod!

Deana - hope u find something that works, some babies are just terrible at night fullstop, so don't be disheartened if u can't sort anything out soon. (my work mates baby didn't sleep thru till he was 5!) I'll prob have the same with DS. But just hang in there

Connie - poor little thing for needing surgery! Hope all goes well, pls keep us posted.

Will do lots of updates when I'm home and fix up the due list

Take care mums and bubbies

[Deana]

Connie- did ur boobs go back to their normal size? I hopeine don't lol mine were small before I fell pregnant now they are a good dd wish they kept this size. As for George, I'll be thinking of him on Monday. Let me no how he goes

Buzzie- yay glad u joined us.

As for Blake I think the s26 gold formula is making him sick. He vomits badly off every bottle. Do u guys think it's the formula? I'm thinking of changing it to something else

[Apes23]

Deana, yeah it might be the formula your giving Blake. Im giving Isla the S26 original (not gold). Maybe he has reflux? There is a S26 one that is made for reflux bubs but sorry not sure of the name.
Does he burp very often halfway through a feed?

Buzzie, hope your doing well at home with Isabella

Not having a good day here.... DS chucked a major tantrum this morning that went on for an hour and I just lost it with him and put him in his room. Then I felt really bad so I just sat in my bedroom and cried. DH was feeding Isla at the time and I don't think DS was getting enough attention. Hmmm wish me luck when DH goes back to work on tuesday!

[fuzzy]

Apes - happy birthday for the 1st! Sorry you had a bad day today hun. Its amazing how many tears can just come now hey? I dont know if its just you but I was just looking at Steve holding Chloe the other night and I burst into tears! Have no idea why. It must be hard with two yound ones - honestly I dont know how you do it. I struggle with just one. Its pretty amazing.

Connie - how are you going with that routine? I have given up on a lot of it - i.e. the length of feeds (often too long for Chloe) and the expressing (i just express in the morning). Where do you squeeze in play time and tummy time? I cant find mention in the book and I think it is really important to sing/read/talk/play with babies even now! Is the routine working for George? Does he go through the night that long? Chloe wont sleep longer than 4 hours in a stint overnight.

Welcome Buzzie!

Deana - it could just be that he is getting a lot of formula quite quickly causing the vomiting. But it could be worth trying another one? I am not sure.

Belfie - can you change Chloe's birth date to the 21st please?

Hi to everybody else!

[belfie]

Belfie - can you change Chloe's birth date to the 21st please?

Done! Thanks for the reminder, I have such vague brain!

[CatherineL]

Hi girls, I've only just read through this thread.

I've noticed what was said about routines and I don't doubt that Belfie's son settled into his own routine and slept well on his own accord. I think alot of it (having a child that sleeps well later on down the track) has alot to do with common sense and habits that are established, not so much feeding to a certain time. Even if you feed to a time plan, but rock your baby to sleep, doesn't mean things are going to be easier down the track. I completely believe that there are some level headed folk out there that loosely keep in mind what kind of habits they are creating and just go with the flow and have children that sleep just as much as mine. I think it's after the second year of a child's life that they start testing sleep, even after the third year from what I've heard from friends. So you just never know what's around the corner for you - I always keep that in mind. I feel similar to Connie (although my routine isn't as in depth as the one she posted) it keeps me sane knowing what's happening when and helped me survive since about 80% of the time my husband is working away and I do everything on my own. I don't have much help even when my husband isn't away because we're on a farm and there is always something that needs to be done. So when dinner has to be cooked, kids and baby need to be bathed, fed, read to and put to bed, I do it myself. And I am more than happy to do it myself even when my husband is home, I can tell you things run alot smoother with our routine and I am happy to have that time after 7pm - once all the girls are in bed - to myself (which doesn't mean that I don't love spending our time together during the day, but let's face it, we all need some time to ourselves. I usually straighten my hair, infill my nails/gel toes, waxing etc which in turn helps me feel like I'm keeping myself together better). I actually feel like it's not a positive thing for you guys, me being here. I don't want to feel like I'm putting pressure on you guys with routine. Plus things (so far) have been much easier and smoother than I expected, so I probably don't need the support I thought I would. So I'm not going to continue in the babybuddies part, instead I'll catch up with the developing babies on fb.
I don't think I'll have much time soon anyway. Playgroup plus and swimming (twice a week) resumes this week and kinder soccer starts next week for Rochelle. Busy times and it's only going to get busier!!

Hope you're all keeping well and don't be a stranger on fb! Xoxo

[CoNNiE_Melb]

For the record, I am not following the routine I posted, thats just the one suggested in the book for a breastfed baby at that age.

I am roughly following a feeding every 4 hours routine, but depending on the situation we give or take half an hour. I am mainly trying to focus on the self-settling techniques because it drives me crazy that George seems to have a 2 hour limit! The last 2 nights he has been sleeping better, waking up just when its time for a feed. But we have 2 problems:
1. He keeps waking up at 6am!! It's 1 hour before his next feed, and too early!! Hehehe
2. He won't sleep in his cot after his 7pm feed, he has to be held until 11pm, and then he goes down after that feed. EVERY other time he goes down for a sleep, he will whinge a little, but be asleep within 20 minutes. Just refuses to go down when its his bedtime!! Even after a bath and feed.

Catherine - I dont want you to go!!! Your routining abilities inspire me! I feel like people could learn so much from you, even if they dont want to follow everything you do.
I know we are confusing him and creating a bad habit when we pick him up and let him sleep with us on the couch at this time, but we dont know what else to do.

[CoNNiE_Melb]

Deana - as for my boobs... they went back to their old size and they are a bit saggy now. I hate them! They were always small, and now they are small and ugly. I am going to go get re-measured for a bra, because I have no idea what size I am.

I have heard of people whose boobs stayed larger, but it didnt happen for me, which sucks!!

[belfie]

I actually feel like it's not a positive thing for you guys, me being here. I don't want to feel like I'm putting pressure on you guys with routine.

Aaww don't say that! I think it's fantastic that you're on here - there's such a range of first-time mums plus 2nd/3rd/4th time mums that it's great to hear what everyone is doing. I realised some things about what I do, when I read what you do, so I thought I should put it down... that way everyone can see all the different ways there are to approach things. Plus tbh, I also know that I'll have to do things a little differently this time cos I've got a toddler to look after as well (not that it's really sunk in yet!). So pls pls don't desert us! I remember my first baby buddies group had a similar mix and it was GREAT to see all the different ways we all approached things!

As for boobies... arrgh mine are too big... would love to shrink 'em a bit!

Connie - I'm so sorry to hear that G needs surgery , hope it all goes well.

[Deana]

Apes – I have bought the s2g reflux for infants, but because the formula is so thick, it doesn’t go through the teat so Blake isn’t getting anything. Its very thick formula almost like a thinkshake lol.


Connie – bummer on the boobs, I bet mine go back down to my old size as well.


Have to take Blake back to the doctors as now he has smelly urine and is drinking a lot, I asked the chemist as I thought it may be a UTI but she recommended me to see a doctor as it could be a sign of diabetes. I hope not. Blake is very unsettled today. Just doesn’t want a bar of sleeping.


Hope you are all doing well.